Jaipur, May 14: In a significant operation, 91 minors were rescued from three textile factories in Surat, exposing a dangerous network involved in child labor trafficking. Most of the children are from Rajasthan.
This operation was initiated based on intelligence provided by the Gayatri Seva Sansthan and was executed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, 22 police officers from Rajasthan, and members of the Pune police station in Surat, along with volunteers from the Gayatri Seva Sansthan.
Both the Gayatri Seva Sansthan and the Volunteer Action Association are affiliates of “Just Rights for Children,” the largest child protection network in the country, comprising over 250 partner organizations.
The trafficked children, aged between 7 and 14 years, were primarily brought from tribal areas in Rajasthan. Additionally, three children were from Uttar Pradesh, while one each came from Bihar and Jharkhand. Among the rescued were two brothers, aged 8 and 10, from the tribal regions of Udaipur district in Rajasthan.
During the raid, the traffickers and factory owners managed to escape, but legal action is ongoing. The rescued children are being presented to the Child Welfare Committee in Surat.
This operation was launched after a month-long intensive survey and investigation by the Gayatri Seva Sansthan, which informed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights about the active human trafficking gangs in these areas.
During the first raid, the rescued children guided the rescue team to other locations where more children were being held captive for labor. Dr. Shailendra Pandya, director of the Gayatri Seva Sansthan, stated, “They led us to a building that was locked from the outside, but the children insisted that there were others inside. Upon entering, we found even 7-year-olds working. They appeared extremely fatigued after working more than 12 hours a day.”
Dr. Pandya further explained that when the team entered, a small child under eight stood shirtless, hiding behind others and asking for a shirt. The conditions for the children were deplorable. He emphasized that such a large-scale rescue operation was only possible due to the prompt and coordinated action of police officials and stakeholders from both states.
Initial investigations revealed that the young children were brought to the factories early in the morning, with the building gates locked from the inside. The gates were only opened after 7 PM.
The rescued children were kept in cramped conditions in nearby colonies, with about 12 to 15 children living in a small room. During conversations with officials, many children disclosed that their parents were aware they were sent for labor. However, younger children claimed they were brought to Surat under the pretense of sightseeing and had no knowledge of child labor.
Preliminary investigations also indicated that some children had been working in these factories for three to four years, while others had recently arrived from their hometowns.
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